Graters are well known in the art to come in a variety of configurations. For example, flat handheld graters generally have a single grating surface on a single panel, where the grated particulates drop from the back of the grater, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. D448,256. The user can therefore direct the grated particulates from the back of the grating panel into a storage container or onto a food item. However, open handheld graters provide limited control of errant grated particulates (referred to herein to include grated particulates of different coarseness, including slices of any thickness).
To better control the grated particulates, some graters have been adapted to include an integrated container or the like to catch the grated particulates rather than merely allowing the grated particulates to fall into an independent storage container or onto a food item. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. D389,019 and 5,312,054 describe collection containers attached to the back surface of the panel having a grating surface.
There have also been efforts to reduce the size of graters. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,312,054 and D548,549 describe multi-sided graters formed of two panels in an inverted “V” where the two panels are pivotally attached at the top and fold together to reduce the overall volume. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0006505 describes a three sided grater having a center panel connected to right and left panels by hinges, where the right and left panels can be snapped together or held in adjacent relation by a cap which can be fixed to the top of each of the panels. Unsnapping the right and left panels or removing the cap permits the three sided grater to be folded into a flat configuration. However, graters still require improvement in providing control of grated particulates and a reduced size.